My air mattress kept deflating at 2am - took me 3 hours to find the leak

I was out at Lake Tahoe last month and woke up for the third night in a row on the ground. My air mattress went flat every single night around 2am. At first I thought it was just old so I bought a new one from the store in town. Same problem. Spent like 3 hours testing everything with soapy water and found the tiniest pinhole right where the valve meets the fabric. Turns out the valve stem was cracked on both mattresses from packing them too tight. Has anyone else had a hard time finding tiny leaks like that or do you just toss your gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_craig722h ago

Read a camping forum where a guy said he fixed a leaky valve stem by coating it with a thin layer of aquarium silicone sealant. Let it dry overnight and it held air for two weeks straight. Might be worth trying if you don't want to toss the mattress.

abbyf7921h ago

Oh wow yes that totally works! I actually did the same thing on an old inflatable sleeping pad last summer. The valve was just slowly hissing out air and I was about to throw it away. I used a tiny bit of that clear silicone stuff from the pet store just around the base of the valve and let it sit for like 12 hours... sealed it right up. Held air for the whole rest of the season no problem. It even worked after I folded it up and packed it away for winter too. People think you need some fancy repair kit but honestly the aquarium stuff is way cheaper and tougher than most of that overpriced gear store junk.

parker_hall520h ago

Nah I don't toss gear over a pinhole, that's just throwing money away. The aquarium silicone trick works but you gotta be real careful not to glob it on too thick or it'll crack when you fold it up again. Just a thin smear and let it cure somewhere warm.